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Five people indicted in a federal investigation in east Arkansas into police involvement in a drug trafficking ring are set for hearings in the next few days, including the sentencing of one of the alleged leaders.

The first person to have pleaded guilty in the investigation, 28-year-old Sedrick “Binky” Trice, is to be sentenced on Wednesday. Prosecutors recommended a 40-year prison sentence for Trice, who allegedly worked with another man to run drugs through Helena-West Helena for distribution in the region.

A grand jury indicted 70 people, including five police officers, in October in a scheme in which officers were paid to protect drug shipments.

Three other people in the investigation are to have change of plea hearings this week, and one other person is to be sentenced.